Median project opponent Steve Goggans announces run for County Council

Clayton Stairs/Times
Steve Goggans announces his campaign for the County Council District 6 seat on Tuesday morning in Pawleys Island.

Steve Goggans, the main organizer of the “Don’t Strip the Neck” group, is running as a Republican for Georgetown County Council District 6.

Bob Anderson, also a Republican, now holds that seat.

The Republican primary election will be held June 10.

Goggans’ platform is titled, “Quality of Life in 29585.”

He announced his candidacy on Tuesday at the Lachicotte Company Real Estate office in Pawleys Island.

“I am compelled to do everything I can to make sure the Waccamaw Neck and Georgetown County remains a vibrant measuring stick for excellence,” Goggans said Tuesday.

“As your County Councilman, I will do everything in my power to make sure the citizens are informed.”

Goggans is a licensed architect since 1982 and founder and owner of SGA Architecture, headquartered in Pawleys Island.

When asked Tuesday if he will have to recuse himself from many votes by County Council because of his projects in Georgetown County, he said he will certainly recuse himself when necessary.

But he doesn’t think it will be a major conflict.

Russ Campbell, a long-time resident of the Pawleys Island area, has known Goggans for about 30 years.

“I think with his experience working with the local government on many projects, Steve is uniquely qualified to represent the people of the Waccamaw Neck,” Campbell said.

He agreed that Goggans would probably have to recuse himself on some of the County Council votes that involve projects in which he is involved, but those would be “few and far between,” he said.

Goggans has been the main spokesman for the Citizens Coalition for Ocean Highway, speaking out against the U.S. Highway 17 median project.

He has presented council with an alternative to the median project developed by the South Carolina Department of Transportation.

Goggins said the project was not designed for safety, although that was originally the main reason for developing the SCDOT plan.

Phase 1 of that plan will close the median along the 1.9-mile stretch of Highway 17 in Pawleys Island, from the North Causeway north to Martin Luther King Jr. Road, with 17 U-turn areas, Goggans said.

When asked Tuesday about the median project, Goggans said there are still “legal avenues to be pursued with respect to Phase 1 of the median project.

He said since he is running for County Council, he will hand over the lead on the median fight to David Gundling, a local attorney.

The group will try to head off plans for Phase 2 of the median project, from the North Causeway south to the South Causeway.

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